costa del norte karst aquifer system of puerto rico is the island

7/23/2019 Costa Del Norte Karst Aquifer System of Puerto Rico is the Island

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The North Coast Karst Aquifer System of Puerto Rico is the islands most productive aquifer.

The characteristics that make it hihly productive also make it vulnera!le to contamination. This

research" #hich addresses the historical contamination of round#ater resources in the northernkarst reion #as conducted throuh interation of spatial hydroeoloic and contaminant

concentration data in the $a Plata%Areci!o area. The study used &'S technoloies and focused onphthalates and chlorinated volatile oranic compounds (C)*Cs+ and phthalates due to their

u!iquitous presence in the environment as #ell as their presence in listed and potential superfundsites in Puerto Rico and ,.S. and potential for e-posure and health impacts. Results sho# an

e-tensive historical contamination of the round#ater resources in the northern karst aquifers.

$on%term contamination indicates the aquifers lare capacity for storin and releasincontaminants and reflects a lon%term potential for e-posure. The deradation of this important

#ater resource has resulted in a su!sequent reduction of the e-traction capacity and an increase

in the cost of use.

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Introduction

The north coast karst aquifer (/iure 0+" #hich comprises 012 of the island" is the most

e-tensive and productive fresh%#ater aquifer in Puerto Rico ($uo et. al" 34456 )eve and

Taart" 0117+. This aquifer serves as a sinificant source of #ater for domestic" industrial" andaricultural uses (8N9R" 344:+. &round#ater in the reion also dischares to surface #ater

features" contri!utin to the ecoloical interity of stream" #etlands" costal laoons" and

estuaries.

/iure 0

;ydroeoloy of Puerto Rico

The north coast karst round#ater system contains t#o ma


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/iure 3

;ydroeoloic cross section of the North Central Coast of Puerto Rico. ?odified from )eve andTaart" 0117.

The hih productivity of the northern karst aquifers is imparted !y #ell%developed conduitporosity and hihly transmissive >ones developed !y dissolution of solu!le rocks" primarily

limestone and dolomite" in #hich round#ater flo#s (/iure @+.

/iure @Karst formations

The same characteristics that make karst round#ater systems hihly productive and suita!le for

industrial development make them hihly vulnera!le to contamination (&ppert and

&oldscheider" 344:+" and impart an enormous capacity to store and convey contaminants fromsources to potential e-posures >ones. As a result" karst aquifers serve as an important route for

e-posin humans and #ildlife to contaminants.

The aquifers productivity" amon other reasons" led many pharmaceutical" chemical" and

manufacturin industries to settle in the north coast area" #ith su!sequent ro#th in populationand ur!an development. ?any of these industries rely on the use of ha>ardous materials" #hich

can enter the karst round#ater from accidental spills and deli!erate disposal. ,r!an ro#th

!rouht construction of municipal landfills and clandestine #aste disposal sites. ?any of theclandestine sites #ere developed in sinkhole depressions" #hich serve as a direct route of

contaminants into the underlyin round#ater formations. The unintended consequence of the

industrial and ur!an development has therefore !een e-tensive contamination of the round#aterresources in the northern karst aquifer. The deradation of this important resource has

su!sequently resulted in a reduction of the e-traction capacity and the cost of use.

The study focuses on chlorinated volatile oranic compounds (C)*Cs+ and phthalates !ecause

of their u!iquitous presence in the environment as #ell as their presence in listed and potentialsuperfund sites in Puerto Rico and ,.S. and potential for e-posure and health impacts. C)*Cs"

includin TC9" PC9" Chloroform" 0"0"3%Thrichloroethane" Car!ontetrachloride" ?ethylene

Chloride" 0"0%8ichloroethane" 0"0"0%Trichloroethane" 0"3%8ichloroethane" 0"0%8ichloroethylene"and 0"3%Transdichloroethylene are commonly used industrial solvents" dereasers" and paint and

spot removers. ?any phthalates are contained in commonly used products" includin plastics"

food packain" home furnishins" paints" clothin" medical devices" and cosmetic products

(N';" 3447+. 'n landfills" phthalates%containin materials can derade and serve as a potentialsource of phthalate contamination for round#ater. 'ndeed" phthalates have !een commonly

found in landfill leachates" includin many listed in the NP$ (ATS8R" 3443"Bauer and

;errmann" 011:6 Randal et al." 0115+. Some phthalates are considered endocrine disruptors" and
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have recently !een associated #ith decreased estation lenth ($atini 344@+" reproductive and

neuroloical damae" and the rise of preterm !irth (C9R;R" 3447+. 9-posure to TC9 has !een

related to several adverse health effects" includin cardiac" neuroloical" hepatic" renal" dermal"immunoloical" and reproductive effects" increased !irth defects" perinatal mortality" cancer"

decreased !irth #eihts (ATS8R" 3400+" and risk for spontaneous a!ortion ($ipscom! and

/enster 0110"Khattak 0111";a and Cho 3443+.

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Methods

The historical contamination of round#ater resources in the northern karst aquifer of Puerto

Rico #as assessed and interated usin &'S (eoraphic information systems+ technoloies. Theeneral approach involved collection" analysis" inde-in" and sereation of historical and spatial

data. ;istorical (since 01:4+ and spatial data #as collected for hydroeoloy" kno#n and

potential sources of contamination" and concentrations of contaminants in the $a Plata%Areci!o

study area. Sources for the data include the 9nvironmental Protection Aency (9PA+ local officesand reports" ,.S. &eoloical Survey" P.R. 9nvironmental uality Board" P.R. 8epartment of

Natural and 9nvironmental Resources (PR 8N9R+" and the P.R. Aqueduct and Se#er Authority

(PRASA+. The data #as revised and validated for accurateness and system representativenessand interated in the data repository for su!sequent analysis. 8ata characteristics #ere overlain

and analy>ed #ithin the conte-t of a num!er of !asemaps usin Arc&'S :.@ (9SR'" 344@+. This

&'S platform uses intellient data models for representin eoraphical features" and providesthe necessary tools to create and #ork #ith spatially%distri!uted data. The spatial analyst

e-tension for Arc&'S #as used to perform the analysis.

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Historical Contamination in the Northern Karst Region

Amon heavily affected physioraphical areas alon Puerto Ricos north coast is the $a Plata%Areci!o hydroeophysical system" #hich e-tends !et#een the Rio $a Plata and Rio &rande de

Areci!o #atersheds (/iures 0and and5+.5+. 'ncluded in this reion" the municipalities of

Areci!o" Barceloneta" )ea Ba


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Serious contamination has prompted inclusion in the National Priority $ist (NP$+ of 04 sites

#ithin $a Plata%Areci!o hydroeophysical reion since 01:@ (/iure 5" Ta!le 0+ and 0D

corrective action sites #ithin the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA+. Gith anestimated area of 3:D mi3" this #ould reflect a linear density of a NP$ site every mile" makin

the reion one #ith the hihest superfund densities in the ,.S. Seven of these NP$ sites are still

active" !ut the others could have contri!uted to contamination at the system level. /ive of thesesites (Barceloneta $andfill" Scorpio Recyclin" ,pmIn%RJos et al." 01:7+. *f reat concern has !een the contamination #ith

chlorinated chemicals" #hich have !een measured in a lare percentae of sample #ells.9-tensive contamination resulted in the closure of 502 of drinkin #ater supply #ells in thenorth coast aquifer !y 01:F (Eack et al." 01:F+. Since then" more than 3F other #ater supply

#ells have !een closed (PR8o;" 3404+" and industrial facilities have had to implement advanced

#ater treatments" incurrin in additional costs.

'nitial assessment of round#ater contaminants since 01:4 in the $a Plata%Areci!o

hydroeophysical study area on Puerto Ricos north coast indicates #idespread contamination of
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phthalates and C)*Cs at the systems level (/iure D+. Althouh some contamination is o!served

in areas not associated #ith listed superfund sites or landfills" a hih density of contaminants are

found around these sites. Analysis of the data indicate that F02 of #ells sampled for C)*Cs(0@7 #ells+ and 5F2 of #ells sampled for phthalates (8;P" 89P" 8BP6 01 #ells+ sho# detection.

Both contaminants have !een detected in 552 of the #ells sampled for C)*Cs and Phthalates

(1+.

Superposition of the appro-imate round#ater surface level over the contamination data in thearea (/iure 7+ points to#ard reater association #ith the sites" as a lare num!er of the #ells

reportin contamination are found dispersed around the do#nstream areas of the sites.

8ispersion around the round#ater do#nstream areas can !e attri!uted to temporal chanes inflo# reimes" #hich can modify the direction and manitude of #ater and contaminant transport.

/iure 7Phthalate (a+ and )*C (!+ &round#ater Contaminant in la Plata%Areci!o Study Area since 01:4.

Contour levels o!tained from Renken et al" 3443.

'nitial assessment sho#s contamination of C)*Cs and phthalates in !oth upper and lo#er

aquifers. The contamination of the upper aquifers is easily attri!uted to historical contaminationfrom surface%related spills and dischares. ;o#ever" contamination of the lo#er aquifers reflects

lon%term storae and dispersion of contaminants in the system. Ghen a lo#er aquifer is

disconnected from the surface !y a confinin unit" and no recent contamination is o!served in the

outcrops" it is postulated that remainin contamination is from liquid%#aste in


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Concluding remarks

The round#ater systems in the karst reion of northern Puerto Rico are hihly productive and

offer important fresh#ater resources for human consumption" ecoloical interity" and industrialand ur!an development. Their vulnera!ility to contamination in a reion that has e-perienced

ro#th in industrial and ur!an development has resulted in a lare num!er and hih density of

contaminated sites #ith the unintended consequence of an e-tensive contamination of theround#ater resources.

Spatial and historical distri!utions of contaminants in the northern karst aquifer sho# that

transport processes in these aquifers are e-tremely comple- and may !e hihly influenced !yhydroloic conditions. $on%term contamination indicates a lare capacity of aquifers for storin

and releasin contaminants and reflects a lon%term potential e-posure.

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Acknowledgments

This proona6 an ?S

from the ,niversity of ?ichian6 and a BS from the ,niversity of ?aryland. She has directed

la!oratory" field%scale" and modelin environmental enineerin and round%#ater investiationsin the academic" overnment" and private sectors" and has !een a#arded #ith numerous scientific

rants (NS/" N';" 8o8" 8o9" 9PA+. She can !e contacted at ude.rpullidap.dirni.

L
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3999440/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3999440/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3999440/mailto:dev@nullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3999440/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3999440/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3999440/mailto:dev@null


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Celys 'ri>arry and Katherine Steele are current and former raduate students" respectively" in

9nvironmental and Gater Resources 9nineerin at the 8epartment of Civil 9nineerin and

Surveyin the ,niversity of Puerto Rico" ?ayaMe>

costa del norte karst aquifer system of puerto rico is the island

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